I Desperately Need You
by darkgirl11
Summary: Tony and Clint are best friends and like best friends, they do basically everything together. They date boys from the same time, they fight crime & save the world together, they prank people together, but they also make music together. Every Friday night when everyone goes out, Tony plays the piano and Clint plays the cello. Now we see just how much who is needed. Winterhawk Stony


_I Desperately Need You_

Summary: Tony and Clint are best friends and like best friends, they do basically everything together. They date boys from the same time, they fight crime & save the world together, they prank people together, but they also make music together. Every Friday night when everyone goes out, Tony plays the piano and Clint plays the cello. Winterhawk Stony

I Desperately Need You

"I could really use a catch right now, tin man."

Tony looked over his shoulder just in time to see his best friend falling off of, yet another, building. He quickly turned around and flew as fast as he could to catch Clint. The archer was actually quite calm when he was falling, where anyone else would be screaming and thrashing around in the air. Clint smiled as he saw Tony fly over and catch him, holding him bridal style in his arms.

"You know," Tony smirked, "we have to stop meeting like this." Clint just threw his head back and laughed, "Don't flatter yourself, Tony, and do you know what Cap would say and do to you if he knew you used such a cliché line on me? You know you'd be on the couch!" Tony rolled his eyes, knowing Clint knew what he was doing, despite being unable to see his face under the Iron Man mask.

"If you really want to fly like Falcon, I can make you a pair of wings."

"Just because my code name is Hawkeye that doesn't mean I _want_ to fly."

"Could've fooled me, guy who always falls off buildings."

"I knew you would catch me."

Tony placed Clint safely on the ground, removing his mask as he did so. The look in Tony's eyes was one of trust and a hint of fear as he got close to Clint and asked, "But what if one time I can't get there in time? What if I'm too busy with some alien or helping someone else and I can't get to you?" Clint clasped his best friend's shoulder as he said with a small smile, "You'd never let a face this pretty go splat on the ground. I trust you, Tony."

The genius shot an alien coming up behind Clint and grinned, "A face that pretty? Is that what Bucky's telling you now?" Clint grinned back and shot an arrow at an upcoming alien before countering, "No way! That's just what your boyfriend keeps telling me!" Tony put his mask back on as the two found themselves surrounded by aliens. The two friends were back to back, smirks coming onto both of their faces.

"I'm sure Cap is just saying that to make you feel better."

Clint laughed and hooked his arms with Tony's, getting lifted up and spun around so that he could kick all the aliens. Clint then found himself being thrown into the air, shooting an arrow to take out the aliens' mothership. As Clint was in the air, Tony was taking out any strays on the ground before catching his friend as he came back down. Clint wrapped an arm around his friend, sighing, "Another day saved thanks to Iron Man and Hawkeye."

The other Avengers were walking over to them, having witnessed the whole Iron Man-Hawkeye combo. Clint removed his arm from Tony's shoulders as Steve stated, "The fight's over, Tony, you can remove your mask, now." The blond haired archer looked at Tony before grinning, "With all due respect, Cap, I think Tony looks a hell of a lot better with the mask on, don't you think?"

"Hold on," Tony started before pulling on Clint's cheeks and then letting go, "yeah, this mask isn't coming off. Sorry, buddy, can't fix your mask. Guess you're stuck looking like that forever. You poor soul." Clint rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "At least Bucky finds me attractive. Right, Buck? Tell Tony how pretty you think I am."

"Clint, don't force your boyfriend to lie. Cap is right there and he doesn't like liars."

"I'm sure Cap also doesn't like your suit's color combination."

"What's wrong with red and yellow?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing just…"

The archer walked over to his best friend and grabbed his hand, eyes full of mischief but his face looked concerned as he said softly, "It's just that I think the Redskins are looking for one of their star benchwarmers." Natasha couldn't help but smile at Clint's remark and she kept smiling when she saw Tony tackle Clint to the ground. Cap and Bucky watched their lovers wrestle on the ground and shook their heads.

"We're dating them?"

 _That Night…._

Each Friday night was the same for the Avengers. Everyone would go out and party or drink. Everyone except for Tony and Clint. Tony always said it was because he didn't want to start drinking again since he just managed to stop and Clint always said he didn't want to leave his best friend all alone in the tower so he stayed behind with him. Everyone would see them on the couch watching TV as they left and when they returned, Tony and Clint would still be there.

"Don't burn the tower down, Tony."

"Don't do anything stupid, Clint."

"That was only one time, Steve!"

"Same goes to you, Buck!"

Those were terms of endearments from the couples. Steve would actually be saying, _"I won't be gone long"_ and Tony would be saying, _"I'll still be here."_ Bucky would be literally telling Clint not to do anything stupid and Clint would give it right back to him. Steve and Tony had hidden meaning behind why they said the things they said to each other while Bucky and Clint were more to the point but they loved each other nonetheless.

As soon as the elevator doors shut, Tony and Clint looked to each other with excited looks in their eyes before racing off to the music room. Tony sprinted over to the piano and sat down at the bench, loving the feeling of the keys under his fingers. Clint ran to his cello and hugged it before dragging it and drum with him over to his chair near Tony. Clint's drum was one where he played it with his foot by stepping on part of it to make it hit the drum.

"What do you wanna play?"

Bruce had forgotten his phone so the Avengers had to come back up so he could get it. Once he grabbed it off the couch he realized two things. One, Tony and Clint weren't there. Two, there was the faintest sound coming from down the hall and it sounded just like a piano. Apparently, he had taken too long because the rest of the Avengers were out and trying to drag him back until he shushed them and whispered, "Shh, listen… I hear a piano…"

Everyone went silent and that's when they heard it, too. The crew walked silently down the halls and crowded around the door, their eyes going wide at the sight before them. Tony was playing the piano, his face finally looking relaxed for once. Clint was calm, waiting for his turn to chime in on the song. Everyone looked at each other in confusion, since when did Tony play the piano and Clint the cello?

They listened in, trying to figure out what song Tony was playing and that's when they heard the smooth melody of Clint's cello coming in to accompany Tony. Tony looked over at his friend as he played, watching as Clint appeared to become one with the cello when he played. His eyes looked like they were almost closed and he even looked like he was mouthing the words to the song, as well as Tony.

Tony's piano and Clint's cello mixed perfectly together, becoming the sweetest melody any of the Avengers had ever heard. It was like Tony's piano was the actual music and Clint's cello was the words to the song. No one had ever seen Tony look so at peace with the world, it was like all that mattered to him was the piano, it brought a smile to Steve's face to see Tony like that. He was perfect like this, in Steve's opinion.

"A Thousand Years…" Whispered Bruce when he figured out the song.

Everyone looked at him until they just heard a piano playing. They looked at Tony during his solo, or they thought it was a solo until they realized Clint was still playing. If they really listened, they could hear Clint playing one long note that was almost inaudible to the human ear for a moment. The next thing they knew, Clint was strumming his cello almost as if it was a guitar.

Tony looked at the piano keys before looking back over at Clint and smiling, earning a smile back from the archer. The two were undeniably happy and for once, they weren't trying to hide it. Tony always loved it when Clint would play his cello like a guitar and Clint would love it when Tony stopped looking at the piano keys. He really didn't need to look at the keys, he was that good.

But almost as soon as the strumming started, it ended and was replaced by the natural sound of the cello's strings. Tony had become so into the music they were making that he actually started to close his eyes and mumble some of the words to himself. Clint looked over and shook his head, smiling to himself and loving this side of Tony. The side that just let all his walls down and feel the music.

Clint felt himself get lost in the music, swaying at times as he played. Tony definitely felt it, his movements looking graceful as he went from key to key. As they finished with the chorus, Clint did something none of the Avengers expected: he flipped his cello over and created a beat by hitting it. Tony threw his head back and smiled wide, as if he was almost silently laughing at his friend.

After a bit of creating a beat, Clint flipped his cello over and played it the way it was supposed to be played, his movements quicker than Tony's but still just as graceful. As the continued to play, Steve had just begun to notice Tony's left foot was almost moving along with the music, just like it was dancing. Bucky couldn't take his eyes off of Clint, God, he was so beautiful like this.

Then, Clint just stopped playing, looking over at his friend and letting him play solo for a couple seconds before he chimed in again. It appeared that they were reaching the end of the song, a stray tear falling down Natasha's eyes. The music they had all witnessed was so beautiful, it was like nothing they had ever heard and they all just looked at each other. They had to hear them play again no matter what.

So that's how it went for the past month. Tony and Clint would stay behind on Friday nights and their friends would go out, or so they thought their friends would go out. Secretly, they would only go down about ten floors before stopping the elevator and coming back up to watch the best friends play. From what they knew, Tony only played the piano and Clint only played the cello with his little foot drum.

But then, Clint and Bucky got into a big fight in front of everyone over something they couldn't really remember. They were yelling at each other for a good hour, not even truly knowing what they were fighting about anymore. All Clint knew was that the fight was probably about him getting jealous and all Bucky knew what that he shouldn't have flirted with that girl at their fight and lied to Clint to his face about it.

It was a Friday night and Clint stayed behind with Tony again as their friends left. Tony wrapped an arm around his best friend's shoulders and said with a small smile and soft voice, "You know what can help you feel a little better? Music. Come on, Legolas, let's go play some music together, alright?" Clint nodded and allowed Tony to lead him down to the music room, hoping to get his mind off of Bucky and their fight.

When the friends came back up, they didn't hear the sound of a piano or even a cello, for that matter. The other Avengers crept to the music room to find Tony sitting down this time playing a ukulele. Clint was standing, for once, with a violin perched up under his chin, waiting for his time to play with Tony. Everyone looked at each other, how many instruments did their friends know how to play exactly?

It was at that moment when they truly looked around the music room to see basically every instrument imaginable hanging up or in a case. The sad sound of a violin brought everyone out of admiring the room. Tony's ukulele sounded so happy compared to the music being played by Clint's violin. The music the violin made was so beautiful but it was incredibly sad at the same time.

"Somewhere Over the Rainbow…" Bruce whispered the song to the others.

Tony looked like he was having a hard time coming to peace with his music like he usually did. Clint was having an even harder time but they both looked like they were struggling to relax and ease into the music. Tony's face was calmer than Clint's but it lacked that natural beauty that came when he was truly relaxed. Clint was trying too hard to relax but his eyes were a storm of sadness and a hint of anger.

Tears looked to be brimming in Clint's eyes as he played but he blinked repeatedly, hoping Tony didn't notice but he did. Tony shook his head as he kept playing, he knew Clint wasn't feeling the music today like he usually did. For one second, Clint stopped playing and everyone leaned in, waiting for him to do something else but he put the bow back on and continued on playing with Tony.

The next thing they knew, Clint's movements were just a little bit faster. To the Avengers, Clint's movements just seemed faster but Tony saw them as almost frantic. He was playing beautifully but it all seemed frantic, nonetheless to Tony. True, he had to move a little faster since he was the words for the song but the way he moved wasn't as graceful as they usually were.

Clint stopped for a few seconds, taking a deep breath before continuing again. The last few notes Clint played sounded utterly depressing to Tony but sounded so beautiful to the other Avengers watching them. When the song was finally done, Tony put his ukulele down and sighed, almost irritated with the way Clint played. Clint put the violin in its case and sighed for himself, knowing Tony probably wasn't that happy.

"The violin, eh? The saddest instrument known to man alongside the ukulele…"

"It's an unusual combination, yes, but it sounded-"

"Fucking miserable, is what you were going to say, yes?"

"That's what I was thinking but I wasn't going to say that."

Tony stood up and put his hands on his face, dragging them down his face as if he was trying to calm himself down. He removed his hands and walked over to Clint asking, "This isn't because of Bucky, is it? Any other Friday night you would have grabbed your cello and gotten lost in the music like you usually do, like we _both_ usually do. But you grabbed a God damn violin, the saddest instrument ever, on the Friday you and Bucky got into a fight."

Clint hung his head, causing Tony to take a deep breath to try to keep himself calm. He carefully put a finger under Clint's chin, causing the archer to look at him as he said softly with wide eyes, "Clint, I can't play without you. I need you and I know you need me, too. I know you're upset about Bucky but don't forget about you. You're not alone anymore. You don't have to play alone, okay? You've got me so let's play together."

Everyone glared at Bucky when Clint grabbed Tony's hand and asked with tears flooding his eyes, "But what if he doesn't come back this time, Tony? What if I drove him away for good like I do with everyone? What if he finds someone better than me?" Tony removed his hand and gently used his thumb to wipe away the tears that were now streaming down the archer's cheeks.

It tore everyone's hearts apart to hear Clint sobbing to Tony, "This always happens when I let someone get too close to me. They see who I really am and then they're gone! I know they'll all leave me, too! You don't even need me! I'm just some fucking archer! You can find anyone else that can shoot a fucking bow and arrow!" Clint pulled away and walked over to the window and cried, "I could fucking jump out this window and no one would fucking care!"

Everyone was just about ready to jump in there and stop Clint themselves but Bruce held an arm out to stop them. He knew Tony could handle Clint. If anyone could deal with him at this moment with this swirl of emotions, it was Tony without a doubt. Bruce let out a quiet sigh, he figured Clint had been feeling useless for a while now and it was about time the usually calm archer broke.

Tony growled and grabbed Clint's arms as he said firmly, "Listen to me, Clint, I'm not going to let you jump out that God damn window! I won't fucking sit here and let you talk about yourself like this!" Tony then grabbed the archer's face and cradled it in his hands as he went on with tears in his eyes, "I would care if you jumped out that window. I've seen who you really are and I've _heard_ who you are, Clint… you're perfect… you're so God damn perfect, you hear?"

"You know," Tony said calmly, "Natasha is still here. She's seen who you are and she's still here. She's stuck by your side through more than I have. She would care if you jumped. It would break her heart to see you jump out that window." Tony lowered them to the ground and allowed Clint room to snuggle up against his side, the genius running his finger through the dirty blond hair.

"Bruce would miss you and the Big Guy would, too. You're his favorite, you know."

"No, that's Natasha. Bruce really likes her but he won't tell her."

"And what about her? How does she feel about him?"

"I think she likes him, too. He just needs to get her walls down. They're cute together."

Tony smiled as he stated, "Thor would miss you the most, I think." Clint wiped a stray tear away as he chuckled sadly, "He'd have no one to eat poptarts with anymore." Tony looked down at his friend, Clint looked exhausted but at least he was alive. He would take an almost depressed and exhausted Clint over a dead Clint any day. The genius felt Clint relax into him as they sat there in a comfortable silence.

"Cap would miss you."

Clint snorted, "He'd miss any of us if we were dead. We're all his soldiers so he'd mourn for any of us if we went down." Tony rolled his eyes before he went on, "He'd miss you the most because you're the only one, besides me, who doesn't treat him like he's a dinosaur, which he is. You talk to him like he's a normal person, like he didn't just get thawed out of the ice yesterday. You don't try to update him. He appreciates that, you know."

The genius shifted Clint so that they were looking into each other's eyes when Tony spoke, "And Bucky could outweigh all of us. He would probably mourn over you until the day he finally dies. You're the best thing that ever happened to that soldier and don't you forget that, okay? You two were made for each other. You're a sassy sniper. He's a sassy sniper. Sassy snipers belong together, even if they're both too stubborn to see it."

"What about you? You'd miss me, too, wouldn't you?"

Tony leaned back for a second before he nodded and smiled, "Of course I would. Clint, you're my best friend. You've seen me and you didn't turn away. You stayed. You love me for me and, God, you're one of the best things in my life. I can't imagine even going one day without hearing your bird calls through the vents when I'm working in the lab or watching you trip over nothing every day. I can't imagine not having you by my side. I can't imagine playing without you. My piano would sound lonely without your cello. Without you, I'm just a sad song."

Clint reached forward and hugged his best friend, tears falling down as he cried, "I'm so sorry I almost did that to you. I'm so sorry I even thought about jumping… I just… everything felt too much… I needed an escape but it turns out, my escape is right here with me… my best friend… I can't believe I was thinking about jumping… I can't leave you or Bucky or the others… I need you, Tony… I desperately need you…"

The Avengers looked at each other, silently asking each other if they should step in now. Bruce nodded and slowly, they all walked in, earning gasps of shock to emit from the best friends. They pulled away and stood up but before they could say anything, Bucky grabbed Clint and held him close while Steve did the same with Tony. Bucky's arms felt firm but protective around Clint's waist and the archer loved it.

When both couples pulled away, Bucky's eyes went wide when he weakly threatened Clint, "Don't you ever do that to me again…" Bucky pulled him in again and whispered in the archer's ear, "I'm sorry we fought, okay? I'm sorry I flirted with someone else. You're the only one for me and I was such an asshole to you. You're the one of the best things that's happened to me since I realized who I was and I know I don't tell you that enough or that I love you but I do."

"I love you, too, Bucky."

"I don't want to be without you. Don't try to jump ever again."

"I promise I won't unless it's for a mission and Tony will catch me."

"As long as someone's catching you."

Clint nodded and pushed Bucky back a bit so they could kiss. The kiss wasn't desperate but it was passionate. The way Bucky held Clint as if he was the most important thing in the world to him caused everyone to smile. Steve smiled down at Tony, silently asking for a kiss, which Tony complied to. Bruce looked nervously over at Natasha before he muttered, "Oh, what the hell!" The next thing Natasha knew, she was in the arms of Bruce Banner and she was getting the kiss of a lifetime.

Thor looked at all of his friends kissing and asked aloud, "And whom should I kiss?" Everyone pulled apart to laugh at the god. I guess they all sort of forgot that Thor didn't really have anyone to kiss now that they had all paired off. Well, he had Jane but she was away in another part of the country so he was left with no one. They all felt bad until Thor attempted to kiss Clint and got thrown into the halls by Bucky.

"So, what instruments do you guys play?"

Tony and Clint looked at each other, smiles etching onto their faces. They looked at each other, Clint nodding to his friend to speak for the both of them, "Well, I play piano, the ukulele, the flute, the oboe, the saxophone, the trumpet, the French horn, the clarinet and some more while Katniss plays the cello, the violin, the viola, the trombone, the tuba, the bassoon, the bongos, and the harp and of course, he can sing."

Everyone's eyes were on their archer as they all asked in unison, "YOU SING?" He blushed in embarrassment for a moment before he belted out with amazing vocals, _"Some folks like to get away for a holiday from the neighborhood. Hop a flight to Miami beach or to Hollywood! But I'm taking a Greyhound to the Hudson River Line… I'm in a New York state of mind…"_

Everyone's eyes shot open, _damn!_ Clint had some pipes on him! Bruce stepped forward, his fingers fumbling together as he asked shyly, "Could we come watch you on Friday nights instead of going out? The other guy really likes it when cupid and the tin man play music. It really calms him down and I think I speak for all of us when I say we love hearing you two play so, can we?"

"The more the merrier, right, Legolas?"

Next Friday night, the Avengers were in for a real treat, according to Tony and Clint. This night, Tony would not be playing the piano and Clint would not be playing the cello. The two agreed to spice it up every Friday night now that the others knew about their secret music duo. Tony even moved some couches and chairs into the music room so that the others could sit down and watch them play.

The Avengers sat down, Bucky and Steve sharing a couch along with Bruce and Natasha while Thor sat in a recliner next to the massive couch. Tony walked in and bowed to his friends before Clint hopped on his back and held up two peace signs, Tony's signature gesture to people. Clint laughed and climbed off of his friend before grabbing a relatively large set of bongos, Tony grabbing a trumpet.

Tony stood near his piano and Clint sat down with the bongos in front of him. Tony made a failed attempt at playing the bongos but Clint shooed his hand away with a smile. The billionaire cleared his throat before announcing, "Welcome to music night. Tonight, we have a special treat for all of you. Our dear, dear Hawkeye is going to sing like the little bird he is, aren't you?"

He received a middle finger from Clint as he response, causing everyone to laugh. Tony took a few deep breaths before playing the trumpet solo. Clint nodded to the sound of the trumpet before beginning to make a beat with the bongos. Just as Clint started to play the bongos, Tony stopped playing the trumpet and sat down at the piano bench and started to play the said instrument.

Clint seemed to move with his motions of playing the bongos and smiled as he changed the lyrics around when he sang, _"When I need motivation, my one solution is my_ soldier _cause_ he _stays strong, yeah, yeah._ He _is always in my corner right there when I want_ him _. All these other_ guys _are tempting but I'm empty when you're gone and they say…"_

" _Do you need me? Do you think I'm pretty? Do I make you feel like cheating?"_ Tony sang.

" _And I'm like, 'No, not really cause…'"_

Everyone grinned because when Tony sang, he batted his eyes at Clint, who couldn't help but almost laugh while singing. The archer smirked at the two soldiers as he sang, _"Oh, I think that I found myself a_ super soldier _,_ he _is always right there when I need_ him. _Oh, I think that I found myself a_ super soldier, he _is always right there when I need_ him." Steve and Bucky couldn't help but roll their eyes with a smile at that.

Eyes widened when Tony actually sang relatively well while looking at solely Steve, _"_ He _walks like a model._ He _grants my wishes like a genie in a bottle, yeah, yeah. Cause I'm the wizard of love and I got the magic wand. All these other_ guys _are tempting but I'm empty when you're gone and they say…"_

" _Do you need me? Do you think I'm pretty? Do I make you feel like cheating?"_ Clint grinned.

" _And I'm like, 'No, not really cause…'"_

Clint just kept smiling as he played the bongos, clearly happy that Tony was singing the chorus of the song with him, almost creating a perfect harmony with each other, _"Oh, I think that I found myself a_ super soldier _,_ he _is always right there when I need_ him. _Oh, I think that I found myself a_ super soldier, he _is always right there when I need_ him."

After the chorus, Tony shot up and started playing the trumpet with so much energy. Tony was getting so into it that Clint eventually stopped playing and just sat back and watched his best friend put everything he had into playing the trumpet. Eventually, Tony looked over and saw them all watching him and that's when he started playing the trumpet with one hand and the piano with the other.

Clint rolled his eyes at him, but took the hint to start playing the bongos again and even got him

to sing, _"_ He _gives me love and affection, baby, did I mention you're the only_ boy _for me,_

 _no, I don't need a next one._ Tony _loves you, too,_ he _thinks I made the right selection. Now that's_

 _all that's left to do is just for_ him _to pop the question!"_ Bucky's eyes widened, did Clint really

mean that?

Tony stuck to just playing the trumpet but kept sneaking little glances at Steve and even at the archer while Clint finished the song all by himself this time, _"Oh, I think that I found myself a_ super soldier _,_ he _is always right there when I need_ him. _Oh, I think that I found myself a_ super soldier, he _is always right there when I need_ him."

Before anyone could say anything or clap for their performance, Tony put his trumpet away and Clint put his bongos away in favor of both the viola and the violin. Tony walked back over to the piano and moved his hands along the keys, getting ready to play with both hands this time. Clint smiled and put the violin under his chin as his best friend stated, "And, this is a combination of songs that you all should know, but mostly Thor."

Tony started to play a familiar tune and then Clint knocked on the piano in a certain rhythm and once he did, Thor shot up and exclaimed, "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?!" Tony chuckled and nodded at his friend and that's when Clint started moving his bow so that his violin could be the words while Tony was literally the music. As Clint played the end of the words, he slumped down to the floor as he ended the song, literally playing the part of Anna.

But then, Tony changed to another song and Clint shot right back up and grabbed the viola. Thor recognized the song and exclaimed again, "Let It Go!" The best friends threw their heads back and laughed for a second before getting back into the zone. The viola sounded deeper than the violin but it was still just as beautiful to hear. The Avengers smiled as Clint started to lose himself in his viola and Tony was losing himself in the piano.

From time to time, everyone could catch Clint closing his eyes as he played, finally looking at peace with everything as he and Tony created beautiful music together. As they appeared to get into the chorus of the song, Clint's viola was successful at reaching the higher notes and he was doing so with ease. The high notes from the piano just added in with the viola, managing to mix well and harmonize together.

The way Clint's face looked when he played was one of pure passion and everyone could see a similar look on Tony's face as he played with his best friend. But when the chorus was done, Clint quickly placed the viola down and grabbed his violin, changing the song when everyone heard the higher and sweeter sound of the new instrument. Clint and Tony smiled at each other, they played flawlessly together and somehow it always brought them closer.

As Thor listened, he realized what the song was and called out, "For the First Time in Forever! Is this the one of reprise?" Clint smiled at the god, despite the rather sad sound the violin was getting into. Thor was answered when Clint quickly swapped out the violin for the viola and it was then that everyone figured out that the violin was the voice of Anna and the viola was the voice of Elsa.

As Clint kept playing the viola, he managed to whistle and the next thing anyone knew, a robot that looked like Iron Man came strolling in and picked up the violin and began to play it so that Clint could have the "voices" of Elsa and Anna together like in the reprise. Everyone just sat there with their mouths open, three of the most emotional instruments were playing together and it just stirred up so much emotion in everyone. It was almost _too_ beautiful.

As the finished the song, Clint and Tony were smiling at each other, real genuine smiles that they never really did in front of anyone but each other and their significant others. They looked so happy and that's just how everyone wanted them to be at all times but they knew only music could really bring them out like this. Music and each other were their escapes and they all were beginning to see it now.

When they all stopped playing, Clint and the robot put their instruments away and met with Tony in front of the piano to bow as everyone applauded their performance. When they straightened from their bowing, Tony dismissed the robot and went over to his lover, who instantly wrapped a strong arm around his waist and whispered into his ear about how beautiful the music was.

Just as Clint made his way to Bucky, a loud explosion could be heard from not too far away. They all rushed to the window to see a building on fire with what looked like soldiers stealing people from the building. Steve was instantly Captain America as he stated, "Gear up and let's go, Avengers!" Everyone nodded and raced out to get ready for the fight.

When they got to the scene, the saw HYDRA soldiers taking people and putting them into black vans that were starting to drive away. Captain America looked at the situation before quickly commanding, "Thor, Hulk, and Iron Man, I want you three to bring those vans back! Hawkeye, I want you on a building calling out any strays while Widow, Bucky, and I stay here and get these people out of here. Avengers, go!"

"Let's go, Legolas."

The next thing anyone knew, Tony had grabbed Clint and dropped him off on a building next to the one on fire. Thor and Hulk were off chasing after the vans that were trying to escape while Steve, Bucky, and Natasha were pulling people out of the fire and directing them to a safer location. Clint rolled his eyes as he saw the police and firemen finally arrive and help the three below get people out.

Clint heard a faint cry coming from the building and looked at one of the higher floors to see a little girl crying for help. From what Clint could see, there were flames coming up from behind her so she needed to get out of there now. He swore under his breath, causing Bucky to hear it in their comm link and look up to see Clint shooting an arrow at the building with a wire on it. Bucky's eyes widened as he saw Clint walking across the wire like he was doing a tightrope act.

"This isn't the circus, Clint! What are you doing?"

"A little girl is trapped and I need to get her out, now! I'm almost there!"

"And what's your plan when you get to her?"

"You're going to have to make one hell of a catch to get her."

Bucky growled in Russian under his breath and looked up to see Clint at the window talking to the little girl. The soldier ran into position, ready to jump and catch the girl when Clint gave him the word. Once Clint had the girl in his arms, he pointed down and said with a smile, "See that guy down there? I know it seems far but he's a good jumper and he's going to catch you. Do you trust me?"

The little girl nodded and that's when Clint said loud enough for Bucky to hear in the comm link, "Okay, I'm going to let you go on the count of three and he's going to catch you. One… two… three!" Clint dropped the girl and that's when Bucky did one of the biggest jumps of his life to meet the little girl and successfully catch her. When they were safe on the ground, Bucky looked up to see Clint making his way back to the other building on the wire again.

The little girl broke free from Bucky and pointed at the building crying, "I wasn't scared of the fire, the floor was breaking!" The soldier's eyes widened but before he could tell Clint to hurry out of there, the building where the arrow was shot into started to fall apart and the arrow broke. Clint gasped as the wire gave out under him but he managed to grab hold of the rope, causing him to get knocked into a building.

Bucky let out a shaky sigh of relief before ushering the little girl to the police to get her out of there. When Clint climbed back to the top, he eyed the burning building. He relayed information to everyone, "This building is going to come down at any second so you need to get these people out of here! Everyone is out of the building so just focus on evacuating everyone from the sight."

"Thanks, Hawkeye." He smirked at Cap's gratitude for the information.

Clint watched the three Avengers get everyone away but then heard a strange noise. He turned to see Tony flying all over the place, as if something was wrong with his suit. Clint saw his friend looking like he was coming to the building and that's when he asked frantically, "Tony, what the hell are you doing? Didn't you hear me say that the building is going to collapse? You need to turn around!"

"Well," Tony started, "I would turn around but I'm having some difficulties working the suit since I got shot by this weird HYDRA gun. My suit isn't responding to me and, oh, I think I'm going down now." Clint saw Tony's suit shut down, aiming straight for the building that was now starting to crumble down. Clint swore under his breath before getting a running start and shooting a grappling arrow at the breaking building and swinging in to catch Tony.

Tony felt something grab him and that's when he realized Clint had caught him. Tony was about to tell Clint that they weren't going to make it and that's when Clint said with a sad smile, "I finally got to catch you this time, tin man! Only one of us can make it so I'm going to throw you to the other building and you're going to tell Bucky I'm sorry and that I love him! Here we go!"

Before Tony could protest, he was being thrown to the safety of another building. Of course, his suit turned on enough for him to run to the edge of the building just in time to see the building fall on top of his best friend. He removed his mask and felt tears stream down his face as he screamed to the archer, "NO, CLINT, NO!" But there was nothing he could do and he couldn't stop watching.

When the dust cleared, Tony barely managed to fly down in front of the building, dropping to his knees and crying. Bucky wandered to the building, violently looking around for his archer. When he spotted Tony sobbing on the ground in front of the building, he knew where Clint was. It was like slow motion for Bucky. He dropped to his knees and just stared at the rubble as everyone ran around him. Clint was under all of that.

And then it dawned on him. _Clint was under all of that._ He shot up and sprinted to the building, throwing chunks of the building into the street. Tony looked up at saw what Bucky was doing, getting up and following in suit. The others saw their friends and joined in. It didn't take long for the Hulk to make a whimpering noise and turn to his friends with a bloody Hawkeye in his big green hands.

Bucky raced over to the green giant and just stared at his broken lover, eyes filling with tears. An ambulance drove over and that's when Hulk trudged over to it and growled, "You help Cupid, now!" The paramedics nodded in fear and took Clint inside the ambulance, Bucky, Natasha, Tony demanding to tag along inside but only Natasha was allowed to come since she was the closest thing Clint had to a sister.

Once Bruce was himself again and clothed, the Avengers raced to the hospital. Bucky marched over to the front desk and growled, "Where is Clint Barton?!" The lady shook in fear, she knew he was the Winter Soldier and was afraid he was going to attack her. He felt a firm hand on his shoulder and that's when he saw Natasha. She grabbed his hand and pulled him over to where Clint was in surgery, the other Avengers following close behind.

They stopped in front of a clear window, allowing them to watch the surgery. Tony pushed his way through and almost had his face on the glass as he asked almost inaudibly, "How bad is he?" He heard the assassin sigh, never a good sign. He put both hands on the window as he watched the doctors work on his best friend. He almost couldn't bear to watch it but a part of him felt the need to watch to make sure Clint would be okay.

"How bad is he?" Bucky demanded in a firmer tone.

"Not good. He's lost blood and broken so many bones. It's a miracle he's alive."

"Will he live?"

"…"

Bucky punched the wall as he hissed, "Natasha, I asked will he live?" She hung her head for a second before she almost screamed at him with tears going down her face, "I don't know, okay?! I don't know what's going to happen to him!" She broke down in Bruce's arms and Bucky just stood there with wide eyes. Natasha never cried or showed more emotion than needed to. This was bad.

After hours of waiting and watching, the surgery was done but Clint was placed in a medically induced coma due to fear of all the damage done to his body. The Avengers huddled in Clint's room, Bucky and Natasha sitting on either side of Clint while Tony was on his knees at Bucky's side of Clint. Thor was watching Clint from the foot of his bed while Steve had a hand on Natasha's shoulder as he stood behind her. Bruce was talking to the doctor outside but then entered, everyone eyeing him as he walked by Thor's side.

"Clint will wake up when he's ready but he can hear us."

Everyone sighed in relief, their archer was going to be okay. It was three weeks later that Tony decided to bring in Clint's cello. The other Avengers were outside talking to the doctor about Clint's situation when Tony pulled out the bow and spoke to Clint, "I know the cello is more of your thing but you aren't responding when I play any of my instruments so I figured maybe you'd wake up to hearing your favorite instrument."

Tears welled up in Tony's eyes as he played the cello terribly. Only Clint could make it sound like angels singing. He sniffled as he continued to try to play A Thousand Years. It sounded so bad that he could hear Bruce make uncomfortable noises outside. Tony stopped playing and that's when all the tears made their little journeys down his cheeks and onto Clint's cello. He couldn't do it anymore.

Tony wiped the tears away but they kept pouring down as he sobbed, "I can't do it, Clint. I can't play the cello. That's your thing, not mine. Why did you do this? I would have been fine but you… you're so fragile and I know you don't think you are but you are, Clint… I can't play without you. Nothing feels right because you're not playing with me. I don't want to play the piano if I can't hear a cello with me."

"I don't want to play the trumpet if you're not playing the bongos with me. I don't want to play the flute if you're not playing the harp with me. I don't even want to play the ukulele if you're not playing that damn violin with me. Please come back, Clint… I can't do this without you… this team can't do this without you… Bucky and Natasha can't do it… God, Clint… I can't do anything without you!" 

Tony went back to trying to play the cello and that's when he sobbed as he played, "See? I'm just a sad song without you, Clint. I don't want to play without you… God, I don't want to play anymore if I can't play with you…" Tony put the cello down, dropped to his knees and wailed into Clint's bed. He thought only Steve could break his heart but it seems Clint could as well.

Tony just let the tears fall, barely even registering the hand running through his hair. Everything seemed to stop when Tony heard a familiar voice mumble, "Stop playing my cello… you literally suck, Tony…" The genius's head shot up and he was met with tired stormy eyes and that shit eating grin that Clint always wore on his face. More tears fell down as he called to the others outside, "GUYS GET THE HELL IN HERE!"

Everyone ran in to see their bandaged archer struggling to sit up, that grin still on his face. Everyone rushed over and hugged him, telling him how much they missed him or how dead he was when he got out of the hospital for making everyone worry so much. When they pulled away, Bucky pressed a soft kiss to his lover's forehead and whispered, "Please, don't you ever do that to me again…"

"I love you, Bucky."

"God, I love you so much, sweetheart. You had me so worried."

"I'm sorry but I had to save Tony. Just lay with me, please."

"Okay."

And that's just what they did. All the Avengers managed to sleep by the bed that night but as they slept, Tony and Clint stayed awake. They didn't need to say anything because Clint had heard everything Tony said and decided not to press the matter. Clint grabbed his best friend's hand and squeezed it, earning a squeeze back from the genius. Clint smiled and gave the hand one more squeeze just to let him know he was still here and always would be.

"I'm just a sad song without you, too, Tony…"

 _THE END!_ I'm planning on making a sequel to this but let me know if you'd read it, please! For Tony and Clint's songs, you can find any of them on youtube if you put in like "ukulele and violin duet" or "Disney Frozen medley with violin." But for A Thousand Years please click on the piano and cello duet made by the Piano Guys because they were my main inspiration! Sorry for any mistakes!

 _The song Clint and Tony sang was "Cheerleader" by Omi!_

 _Please don't forget to favorite, review, and follow if you liked it! And please tell me if you want a sequel or not!_


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